In order to bolster its pipeline for rare diseases, Alexion Pharmaceuticals has purchased the privately held biotech company Taligen Therapeutics for US$111 M upfront and undisclosed contingent milestone payments for six of its drug programmes. With the acquisition, Alexion will obtain Taligen’s preclinical-stage protein and antibody therapies that inhibit pathways of the complement system. Taligen will also form the basis of Alexion’s new Translational Medicines Group in Cambridge, Massachusetts.